So you think you have what it takes to become a fashion designer? The first step to becoming a fashion designer is to acquire formal education in a related field (for example, a graphic design or fashion marketing degree). From there, you can decide whether you are better suited to being a wardrobe manager or designer. No matter your final choice, if your heart is set on being a fashion designer, it will take determination, vision, and persistence. Here are some of the other steps to become a fashion designer.
Create sketchbooks and drawings. If you are a complete novice in the world of fashion, it can be difficult to draw out your own designs. This is especially true if you have never designed anything before or if you have little to no experience drawing. Taking the leap from student to aspiring professional can be difficult, but one of your most important keys to a successful transfer is having a sketchbook and/or sketching tools to showcase your designs, style, and technical skills.
Have a sketchbook to keep track of your ideas and your sketches. When you are drawing out your ideas, you will likely want to do this on paper so that it is easier to create realistic-looking designs. Sketching out your ideas and visualizing them on paper can also help you to remember the overall concept when you are done with the drawing. Many fashion designers choose to bring their sketches to the drafting table so they can add extra details. You may also want to have your sketches printed out on high quality paper so you can look at them often and keep track of any changes.
Use fashion design sketchbooks or sketches to inspire your designs. Inspiration comes from a variety of sources, including friends, family, and various magazines and newspapers. Keeping a sketchbook filled with your favorite designs can help keep you inspired throughout your entire fashion designing career.
Bring your fashion drawings to dress rehearsals. You will be amazed at the many different ideas you can come up with when you are dressing other people for an event. Keep a sketchbook of your favorite dresses in case the design inspiration suddenly hits you while you are practicing for a formal event. Bring your sketches to dress rehearsal too. You might be surprised at how quickly your ideas transform into actual dresses!
Use a design template to save time. A template usually allows you to choose a design that is already formatted for a particular size. This will allow you to simply copy and paste the formatting information from the template into your template, saving you time. Many fashion designers find it beneficial to download free template layouts and use them for their everyday projects.
Find a great sketch that showcases your female figure. The majority of fashion designers find themselves drawn to women who take the time to perfect their basic looks. It is very easy to draw inspiration from a basic sketch. Once you have chosen a design that truly highlights your best features, you can begin to tweak the proportions until you find just the right style to fit your body. Most female fashion designers save their sketches as templates so that they can quickly refer to them when they need to rework a design.
Create your own fashion figure templates online. There are sites dedicated solely to helping people create custom sketches. All you need to get started creating your own design is a high-quality sketch pad and some free software to access computer programs. Most sketching websites offer a huge selection of quality design tools such as pen, pencils, paints, and templates.